


Sandcastles and Sapphires

by let_tyrants_fear



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-12
Updated: 2015-10-12
Packaged: 2018-04-26 01:33:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,114
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4984795
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/let_tyrants_fear/pseuds/let_tyrants_fear
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When one of you is the son of the sea god, and the other is an amazing architect, you tend to build some pretty incredible sandcastles together.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sandcastles and Sapphires

Their cabin stood in a row of empty houses facing the water, and they had the beach to themselves tonight. The moon was full, constellations blanketed the sky, and the ocean seemed to glow. It shimmered blue and green and silver beneath the bejewelled sky, rippling like a scarf in the wind, the edges fraying. The wind nipped at their faces and battered their clothes. Even in May, it was too cold for the beach.

They were barefoot, and the sand was soft and cool under their feet. They walked hand in hand, heads held close, speaking softly. The sea and the stars spied and strained to listen, but Percy and Annabeth remained oblivious, absorbed in each other.

“It’s such a lovely night,” she said, swinging their linked hands.

“Yes,” he agreed, but his eyes remained on her. A curl fluttered in the wind, escaping from behind her ear. Her head was tilted back towards the sky, and moonlight bounced off the bridge of her nose. Percy didn’t understand how she could walk with her head at that angle, but she never ceased to amaze him.

“Look, there’s Zoe.” Annabeth tried to point with the hand currently grasping his, tugging both their arms up in the direction of the well-known constellation. He hummed in agreement, still watching her. Her grey eyes were wide, her throat bare.

“Are you even listening to me?” Those eyes were on him now, displaying her trademark glare, but there was a softness underneath that made him smile where others would cower.

“Of course.” A pause. “You’re beautiful, you know.” She rolled her eyes and looked up again. “And kick ass.” No response. “Also crazy smart.” Finally, a small smile, a side long glance in his direction.

“Whatever.” She looked down, towards their hands. Percy lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed her fingers, both of them drifting to a halt. “Love you,” he whispered.

“Love you, too.”

“Yeah?”

She pretended to consider it for a moment. “Yeah, I think so,” she said finally.

Percy grinned. “Well, that’s a relief.”

“Yeah…you know, I’ve been thinking.” Her features were schooled into a serious expression, but her tone was playful. It was a combination that made Percy suspect she was setting up to make a joke at his expense.

“Dangerous words from someone with your brain.”

She gave him a little shove. “Shut up. I’ve been thinking that we should get a pet.”

“Yeah, that would be nice.” The corner of her mouth was tugging at her business-like façade, an indicator that the punchline was coming.

“I was thinking about getting a guinea pig.” There it was.

“Hey!” His indignant expression softened when he saw her smirk, and he laughed before pressing his lips to her hair. “Whatever you want, Wise Girl.”

“Careful there, sailor, that’s a dangerous promise to make.”

“I’ll take my chances. I trust you.”

Her head dropped onto his shoulder as she took a deep breath. “I know.” Her breath was hot on his neck, and the flyaway curl from earlier was now tickling his ear. Even as he felt his heart speed up, Percy tried to stay as still as possible so as not to jostle her. He could feel her smiling against his chest, and he pulled her closer.

Annabeth’s loose hand crept up to his shoulder as his arm curled around her waist. They were chest to chest now, Annabeth’s cheek still pressed against his shoulder. He began to hum in her ear as he slowly moved them in circles.

“I know you, I walked with you once upon a dream…”

She snickered. “Really, Percy? Disney?”

He didn’t stop, but instead sang louder, speeding up and spinning them in larger circles, in a dramatic imitation of a waltz. Annabeth was laughing outright now, and Percy couldn’t get enough of that sound. “…the gleam in your eyes is so familiar a gleam….” Her grey eyes shone, intense as always, as they continued to twirl in the sand. “…and since I know you, I know what to do…” In one smooth movement, he swung her into a dramatic dip, and she shrieked, grabbing his shoulder.

“I’ll love you at once…” She allowed her head to fall back, still smiling. “…the way I did once…” Percy righted her again, pulling her up against him. They were nose to nose, eyelash to eyelash. Percy couldn’t tear his eyes away. “Upon a dream.” The last part came out as more of a rough whisper than a song before he gently pressed his lips to hers.

“Do you remember dancing at that military school in Maine?” he asked her, their eyes closed. He felt Annabeth grimace against his mouth.

“Yeah. Gods, that was so awkward.”

"I know.” He chuckled, thinking of the sweaty gym with its cheap balloons and their graceless teenaged selves. He had spent the whole time worrying about how his hands were sweaty and Annabeth was taller than him. “Wanna hear a secret?”

“Sure.”

He pulled back a couple inches so he could look her in the eye, his expression serious. “I had a bit of a crush on you back then.”

She snorted. “Really?”

“Really.” He smirked.

“You’re such a dork sometimes, Seaweed Brain.” She slid her hands up his arms and around his neck, pulling his head down so she could kiss him properly. Percy felt warm despite the chill. Holding Annabeth, making her laugh, dancing with her, kissing her – he would never get tired of that.

“I’m your dork, though,” he mumbled against her lips. The words came out jumbled, but Annabeth understood. He couldn’t see her, but he could sense her rolling her eyes. Then she stretched up on tiptoe to kiss the tip of his nose.

“Yeah,” she agreed. “You’re all mine.”

Percy brought his arms up around her shoulders, drawing her close. She returned the hug, squeezing him tightly, as if trying to press all of her love into his body. He could feel her shoulder blades pressed against his forearms, and he realised he was doing the same thing. They held each other so hard it hurt, but nothing could make them let go before they were ready.

Finally, they stepped apart. Annabeth smiled up at him, and his hands moved down her arms to clasp her fingers. “Wanna build a sandcastle?” he asked. Her smile grew and she nodded; she had that glint in her eye that told him she was already developing blueprints in her brain.

Dropping his hands, she raced towards the water, stopping several yards from the water. The sand here was damp and manageable, perfect for sandcastles. Annabeth’s heels sank into the sand before she sat down on her butt, without any care towards her shorts. It made Percy want to kiss her all over again, but he knew that wouldn’t work now. She was fixated on the idea of a sandcastle.

“I’m thinking a single tower with fortifications on all sides and three stories,” she rambled off, already scooping handfuls of sand into a pile. “It can have stairs leading up to each level, connecting them like a spiral, which will provide structural support to hold the tower in place.”

“And a moat?” Percy asked, hopefully. “It can have a moat?”

“Yes, but we’ll have to make sure to keep several inches between the edge of the moat and the wall of the castle, otherwise we won’t have as sound a base and the walls will break off.” Annabeth paused for a moment to tie her hair back, not bothering to brush the sand off her hands before she gathered her curls in a knot at the base of her neck. She looked up at Percy, who stood there grinning at her. “Well?” she demanded. “Aren’t you going to help me?”

He plopped down beside her, and together, their hands began to form the base.

They quickly lost track of time, so focused were they on their sculpting efforts. They traded jokes, but Annabeth was too invested in her latest design and Percy was too contented with watching her work for either of them to make decent conversation. Instead, they worked on their castle (though there was a brief interlude for a sand fight, which ended when Percy got sand in his ear).

After half an hour of work, they had finished the first two stories in Annabeth’s plan and managed to complete Percy’s moat as well. On a whim, Percy had included two houses at the base of the first story, which he claimed were guard stations. Annabeth had nodded and continued her work on the second story. At the moment, they were both fixated on completing the tower, the centrepiece of the castle. After having his fingers pushed out of the way for the third time, Percy finally sat back and let Annabeth take over.

“Percy, would you go find some seashells for decorating,” Annabeth asked without looking up. Without a word, he got up, swatting sand off his shorts, and wandered up and down the beach, searching for shells. He glanced back every few minutes – her hair was beginning to escape in wisps and her tongue was peeking out of the corner of her mouth as she concentrated on hollowing out the top tower without the roof caving in.

He returned after a few moments and let loose a shower of shells, rocks, and sticks next to the moat. Having finished the tower, Annabeth began sorting through the pile, carefully selecting shells and sticking them artfully into the walls. Percy resumed his spot next to her and began fiddling with the sand at the base between the two huts.

“I think it needs a flag,” Annabeth declared, leaning back to take in the castle in all its glory. “You know, a banner for the top of the tower.”

“Great idea.” Percy was still playing with the little clumps of sand at the bottom of the castle, forming two lumps. “Why don’t you go find seaweed or something?” He had to bite his lip to keep from smiling.

As soon as Annabeth had turned away, Percy’s hands suddenly sprung into overdrive and his grin burst forth. His fingers quickly shaped the two lumps into human-like figures, and he used his fingernails to etch tiny details into the sand people. A quick glance over his shoulder showed Annabeth drawing nearer, so he quit the sculpting and instead drew something from his pocket, setting it between the two miniscule statues.

Percy jumped up just as Annabeth approached, blocking the sand castle from view. He snatched the tiny twig-and-kelp flag from her hands and turned to place it on the top of the tower. “Excellent!” Finally, he hopped back, taking her hand and revealing the finished castle.

Percy and Annabeth had a special gift for building sandcastles together, and this one was probably their best piece to date. Simple, but elegant, with smooth walls and a strong tower, decorated with seashells in swirling patterns. A piece of seaweed fluttered at the top of the tower like a banner, flying high and proud. It really was excellent, and they had built it together.

At the base of the structure, where the entrance would be if this were a true castle, Percy’s two tiny sand people stood together. Percy watched as Annabeth caught sight of them, confusion at this last minute addition flickering momentarily across her face. One of the figures was kneeling. Between them, a ring was nestled in the sand.

Percy shifted beside her, and she glanced over. Percy, her boyfriend of six and a half years, the love of her life, was getting down on one knee, beaming up at her.

She looked at the ring again. It was truly a stunning affair, and Percy was rather proud of it – a round-cut sapphire and two smaller diamonds on either side, all set into a silver band with exquisitly engraved accents. Then she turned back to Percy.

Strands of hair escaped from her ponytail, her clothes were wrinkled, and she had a line of sand across her forehead, but she was smiling widely. She was a mess, yet Percy looked at her as if she were one of the most beautiful creatures he had ever seen. “Marry me, Wise Girl?”

She nodded.

Percy plucked the ring from the sand and slid it onto her finger. She brought her newly-decorated hand to his cheek, kissing him firmly on the mouth. His arms wrapped around her waist and her other hand slid to the back of his neck, holding their heads together.

“Took you long enough.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah. Now shut up and kiss me.”


End file.
